Shopping—Food Network

By staff | April 1, 2008

Whether you’re into culinary adventure or top-quality basics or trendy ingredients, Sarasota can satisfy your taste. We scoured the town from top to bottom, discovering everything from small gastronomic miracles to ethnic staples and comfort food. Some local emporiums cater to professional chefs and foodies; others to retirees and immigrants... Read more »

Whether you’re into culinary adventure or top-quality basics or trendy ingredients, Sarasota can satisfy your taste. We scoured the town from top to bottom, discovering everything from small gastronomic miracles to ethnic staples and comfort food. Some local emporiums cater to professional chefs and foodies; others to retirees and immigrants craving an authentic taste of home. We sampled them all, and as the TV commercial goes, m-m-m-m-m.

Gourm-aholics Anonymous? Serious gourmands forage the aisles of this hidden treasure, too good to keep secret with 75 irresistible cheeses, more than 100 artisanal wines, Asiago-filled fresh gnocchi ($7.49), bronze-cut Italian pastas, and a bottled pesto so good professional chefs pass it off as their own (Crespi San Remo, $4.59). Casa Italia, 2080 Constitution Ave. (941) 924-1179.

Perogies in Paradise The Hungarian Csabai sausage ($8.99 a pound) brought tears of joy to a young immigrant’s eyes at this new market, where patrons say everything from Polish pickle soup ($5.58) to a tantalizing assortment of perogies ($5 a dozen) tastes just like home. M & M European Delicatessen, 2805 Proctor Road (941) 922-1221.

Customers have been playing “spot the Mortons” since Sarasota’s first family of gourmet marketeering repurchased its eponymous Southside Village store. On any given day you’ll find up to three generations manning the aisles: Ted Morton, the founder of Morton’s Gourmet Market, his sons, Eddie and DK, and Eddie’s son, Todd.

“We sold the store to the Griffin family in 1997 so my dad could retire,” says Eddie, explaining that Ted couldn’t resist a comeback: his new 12-hour-a-week gig working the crowd. Hospitality-management-degreed Todd, who has supervised day-to-day operations since the Griffins reopened the remodeled emporium in 1999, is now co-owner with his dad. But really, says Todd, “the whole family is on the board.”

Here, familiarity breeds success. The store is electrifying, the staff’s excitement contagious, and positive changes abound. Look for a new convenience grocery department, the return of sushi by Kyoshi, and in response to the economy, a fantastic selection of under-$20 artisanal wines. —Carol Tisch

Morton’s Gourmet Market, 1924 S. Osprey Ave. (941) 955-9856

Get Hooked Prepared foods like executive chef John Teitsch’s hush-puppy-encrusted lobster tail ($32.99) are more popular in this economy than ever before. “People want restaurant-quality take-out and realize it would cost them two or three times our prices to duplicate these meals at home,” Todd explains.

What This Town Needs “We need our baseball stadium. Spring training is a tradition in Sarasota and an asset the city and country should find a way to save,” says Todd. “I skipped school to sell Cokes at the stadium,” Eddie recalls, quickly adding, “My mother knew about it, though.”

Can’t Live Without The consensus is family first and foremost, then raspberry fudge cake ($26) and baseball. They have no favorite team: “We’re baseball fans.” And does Ted pack Morton’s gourmet lunches for the ballpark? “Heck, no; I eat everything they sell, from hot dogs to snow cones,” he says.

Foodtalk:

Do the Dew The peppadew, that is. Peppadew is the brand name of a spicy/sweet pickled South African pepper its growers claim is the first new fruit since the kiwi’s discovery 26 years ago. Naysayers’ DNA tests link its ancestry to a Central American habanera pepper. Controversy aside, this international taste sensation ($6.49 a pound) is spiking everything from gourmet kebabs to martinis. Casa Italia, 2080 Constitution Ave. (941) 924-1179.

R…ice Cream? Strolling St. Armands Circle, you overhear the buzz about Miami Rice Pudding Co., a new franchise with 35 flavors of rice pudding in cups or cones to go. Owner Lori Hearn says the best seller is coconut cream; banana nut is a close second. At $4.20 a small cup, it’s low-cal, gluten/preservative-free, kosher and delicious. Miami Rice Pudding Co., 119C N. Boulevard of Presidents, St. Armands Circle (941) 388-2220.

Hot, Hot, Hot Would you believe a store with more than 500 varieties of hot sauce, “from mild to nuclear?” That’s how Buffalo (wing) born and bred Chuck Rizzo Jr. describes his new specialty shop devoted to fiery fixings, including wing sauce ($6.25) by the inventor of Buffalo wings (Anchor Bar) and a 1950s version by the Buffalo pizzeria (La Nova) that Rizzo says perfected them. Big Daddy’s Fiery Foods, 6555 Gateway Ave. (941) 922-8357.